Rediscovering Indigenous Languages: The Role and Impact of Libraries and Archives in Cultural Revitalisation

摘要

The State Library of New South Wales (SLNSW) has embarked on a significant project to identify and make accessible materials in its collection relating to Indigenous Australian languages. The project Rediscovering Indigenous Languages seeks to reconnect Indigenous Australia people and the wider Australian community to word lists and vocabularies relating to the first languages of Australia. The various phases of the project - from research and curation, through to community engagement and collaboration - aim to connect with both Indigenous people and other language projects to assist with the process of language and cultural revitalisation. This paper will discuss principles and protocols guiding the work of the Rediscovering Indigenous Languages project, in particular the importance of encouraging active discussion with communities and linguists in regards to the use and revitalisation of these historical documentary resources. As a case study, this project demonstrates the importance of designing library and archival systems that proactively connect Indigenous people with their knowledge sources held within library and archive collections. Community engagement and collaboration, led by Indigenous protocols, are vital components of designing and delivering projects that have maximum impact for language and cultural revitalisation. Measuring the impact of the Rediscovering Indigenous Knowledge project requires new ways for libraries to consider the value of their engagement with communities. Approaching Indigenous library service development and services in these ways will ultimately lead to more sustainable and collaborative projects being developed to benefit the broader community. In addition, there is potential for archival collections to be enriched and revitalised in new and exciting ways.